Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is considered by many to be among the most beautiful cities in the world and is probably the city with the most beautiful natural landscape. The city was built on small plains and owes its beauty to the beaches and mountains that border its neighbourhoods. Rio de Janeiro, or Rio, has a lot to offer tourists. Rio has modern districts as well as a historic city centre and breath taking vistas as well as beautiful beaches. The famous botanical garden and the surroundings of Rio are popular itineraries among nature lovers.
History
When the Portuguese discoverer Gaspar de Lemos sailed the Guanabara Bay in January 1502, he thought that he had discovered a river. He named it January River or Rio de Janeiro. The French tried to settle in the region in 1555 but were dislodged by the Portuguese. In 1565, the Portuguese Estácio de Sá founded the city São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro (St Sebastian of the January River). The city was a regular victim of pirates and privateers, especially from countries that were at war with Portugal like France and the Netherlands. This lasted until the beginning of the 18th century.
After 1720, Rio de Janeiro became an important port to export wealth as the Portuguese discovered gold and diamonds in the neighbouring captaincy of Minas Gerais. The administration of the colony was transferred from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro in 1783. The development of Rio was pushed in 1808 by the arrival of the Portuguese royal family who fled Europe because of Napoleon. The Portuguese court settled in Rio de Janeiro and the foundation of universities in Brazil became permitted. When the old king returned to Portugal, his son Prince Pedro proclaimed the independence of Brazil.
For a long period, the city was largely limited to the neighbourhood now known as the Centro. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first tunnels were constructed between Botafogo and Copacabana. The beauty of this beach and the construction of new, modern hotels in this part of the town made Rio one of the most famous tourist destinations.
Rio de Janeiro was capital of Brazil until 1960 when the new capital Brasília was constructed in the middle of the country. Nevertheless, Rio remained the cultural centre of Brazil.
Beach
Rio has many beautiful beaches but the most famous are Copacabana, Ipanema and Botafogo. It is better not to swim in the sea near Rio de Janeiro as the water is not too clean and as there are strong currents. Around Rio are places like Cabo Frio, Búzios, Macaé and Rio das Ostras where the water is cleaner. Especially Rio das Ostras is serene and hardly spoilt by tourists. At the Praia das Tartarugas in Rio das Ostras it is possible to swim between the sea turtles (but don’t go to far as here are dangerous currents as well). The species is called green sea turtle and it eats the algae that grow on a rock just before the coast.
Vistas 
The Corcovado and the Sugarloaf mountain (Pão de Açucar) offer breath-taking vistas. Both are famous mountains: the Corcovado is the mountain with the renowned statue of Christ Redeemer (Cristo Redentor), the Sugarloaf mountain is the remarkable, conically shaped mountain that rises from the sea. The top of the sugarloaf mountain can be visited by cable car, the top of the Corcovado can be reached by train.
Parks
Jardim Botânico
Rio has a famous botanical garden: the Jardim Bôtanico. It is integrated with the surrounding landscape in a marvellous way and it houses thousands of species of tropical plants. This botanical garden was founded as a garden for the Portuguese royal family when they fled for Napoleon to Brazil. After the independence of Brazil the garden belonged to the Brazilian emperor. The garden houses more than 8000 different species of plants. Since 1997, it has an orchidarium with hundreds of species of orchids.
Time : the garden is opened daily between 8.00 hours and 18.00 hours (entrance until 17.00 hours.).
Venue : Rua Jardim Botânico, 1.008 (Jardim Botânico)
Buildings
Pálacio da Ilha Fiscal
The Ilha Fiscal is a small island with a Neo-Gothic palace just off Praça Quinze. It was designed in 1881 by Adolfo Del Vecchio and inaugurated on April 27, 1889. On the 9th of November 1889, it was the venue of the last ball of the Brazilian emperor, just a few days before the proclamation of the republic. This Baile da Ilha Fiscal entered the history as a symbol of the extravagance of the royal house.
The tower of the castle has a square shape. A clock displays the time on 4 sites of the tower so that the captains of the ships could calibrate their chronometres in any place of the harbour.
The Brazilian Navy used this island between 1913 and 1998. Today, it is a museum housing exhibitions about the history of this landmark and about the Brazilian Navy.
The island can be reached by a historic ship of the Brazilian navy. For this reason, it is important to arrive in time.
Venue : Av. Alfredo Agache, at the end of Praça Quinze (Centro)
Time : Thurs-Sun, 1pm, 2:30pm and 4pm (be in time because of the boat!)
Theatro Municipal
The municipal theatre (Theatro Municipal) is a beautiful building in the Centro. It was built in 1902.
Venue : Praça Floriano, s/nº (Centro)
Time : Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm
Mosteiro de São Bento
The Benedictine Monastery (Mosteiro de São Bento ) was built by monks in the middle of what is now called the Centro between 1617 and 1660. It is a typical example of Brazilian Baroque with an extravagantly decorated interior. Those who love Gregorian chant can attend the mass at Sunday. The music starts 30 minutes before the start of the mass.
If you visit the monastery, you need to be adequately dressed.
Venue : Rua Dom Gerardo, 68 (Centro). If you need an elevator you can access via Rua Dom Gerardo, 40.
Time : 7:00 to 12:00 h and 14:00 to 18:00 h; Sunday masses start at 10.00 h and the music starts half an hour earlier.
Museums
Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
The Museu Nacional de Belas Artes houses an attractive collection of Brazilian art of the 19th and 20th centuries and of Italian and French masters from the 17th and 18th centuries. It is located in a nice Neo-Classic building which was built in 1938.
Venue: Avenida Rio Branco, 199 (Centro)
Time: Tuesday – Friday: 10.00 h -18.00 hours. Saterdays and Sundays: 14.00 hours-18.00 hours
MAM
The Modern Art Museum (Museu de Arte Moderna) is often abbreviated as MAM. It has a collection of modern art and a collection about film history.
The collection consists of more than 11000 objects. Most of this is not displayed to the public. Apparently, this collection is growing as a large part of the exhibition space is occupied by objects that are recently acquired with the help of sponsors. History will prove what objects are avant-garde and what objects are on a dead end in the development of art. Nevertheless, the fact remains that many of them are not really ‘accessible’ for most people.
Venue: Avenida Infante Dom Henrique, 85 (Centro)
Time: Tuesday to Friday 12.00 -18.00 hours. Saturdays and Sundays 12.00 – 19.00 hours.
MAC 
The Museum of Contemporary Art (Museu de Arte Contemporânea) is often referred to as MAC. The building was designed by the famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and resembles a landed UFO. The museum has a nice collection of contemporary art including works from Cândido Portinari.
It is located in Niterói on the other side of the Guanabara Bay. Its terrace offers a splendid view over Rio.
Venue: Mirante da Boa Viagem, s/n (Boa Viagem), Niterói
Time: Tuesday to Sunday, 10.00 hours – 18.00 hours
Get in
By plane
International flights land on Galeão International Airport (GIG) that was recently renamed Tom Jobim International Airport. This airport is quite far from the city centre and the interesting hotels. The company Real operates a cheap and safe bus service between the airport and the city centre (including Copacabana and Ipanema). Taking a taxi is another convenient way to reach your hotel. The second airport of Rio is the Santos Dumont Regional Airport (SDU). This airport is located far closer to the city centre. As the Santos Dumont Regional Airport cannot expand, it is mainly used for domestic flights.
Bus
Long distance bus services depart from the Rodoviária Novo Rio. The best way to get there from the airport is taking a taxi.
Car
The network of roads around Rio de Janeiro is actually quite good but the traffic is very hysterical. Furthermore, there are not enough traffic signs to guide somebody who does not know the city. By car, you enter a dangerous neighbourhood before you know.
By boat
There is a ferry between Niterói and Rio de Janeiro. It arrives at Praça Quinze in the historical neighbourhood Centro.
Getting around
Taxi
One of the most comfortable ways to get around in Rio de Janeiro is taking a taxi. Taxis are not very expensive in Rio. If you ask a taxi for a city tour, arrange a fixed price.
Bus
Busses are a cheap way of transport within Rio. Not all foreigners understand the system. If you don’t speak Portuguese, you better inform in your hotel what busses you need to take to get at your destination.
Subway
Rio has one of the cleanest and most efficient subway systems of the world. However Rio’s tube connects only the important neighbourhoods. There are two lines: line 1 (linha 1 ) passes via Flamengo and Botafogo to Tijuca (Saens Peña) from where you can visit the Corcovado. Line 2 (linha 2 ) brings you to the zoo.
Boat
A boat connects the Centro with the Ilha Fiscal. Another island that can be reached by boat is the beautiful island Paquetá.
|
|
